


Replacements

by NotSoCoolKid



Series: For Fun Fics [2]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Underfell, Arguing, Crying, Feeling shitty, M/M, Panic Attacks, Past Rape/Non-con, Reunions, a lot of yelling, idk - Freeform, technically, they fcukin count
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-02
Updated: 2018-05-02
Packaged: 2019-05-01 06:24:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,677
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14514444
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NotSoCoolKid/pseuds/NotSoCoolKid
Summary: Comic finally gets his baby bro back, but it comes at a price, technically.





	Replacements

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Chili_Sama](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chili_Sama/gifts).



Comic was.. Pretty in shock. A few days ago- less than a week he was pretty sure- his younger brother- his baby brother- went missing. Just. Poof, disappeared into thin air on his way back home from a regular day training with Undyne. No one saw him, no one heard him. When the Guard went to check the area where he should have been, as he was very, very hard on keeping track of time and was never late, there was a scent trail leading the regular way he went, and then suddenly it just. Disappeared. Nothing. The Dog Squad swept the whole section, and then did the entire area around it, and nothing. No hints of him being there. No footprints, scents, nothing.

 

He had been.. Absolutely broken. He had genuinely believed that perhaps his brother had managed to mask his scent, and went to a drop off and just. Jumped. It wouldn’t be the first time a monster did that, but usually there was a scent trail to one of the waterfalls. In fact, most of the checks in Waterfall, were around the falls that dropped off into the emptiness below, that was unused and dangerous. No one had safely gone down there, and the drop was so far that whoever didn’t dust on the way down from the lack of will to live, died on impact, or drowned if they were really unlucky. And even then, no dust could be recovered from there. None. Even if it was possible now, no dust could be returned. It’d be all mingled together with the amount of deaths that occurred down there..

 

Undyne had been there for him, organizing searches from his living room, giving him hope that they’d find Crisp. Three days in, Comic reluctantly called it all off, telling Undyne that if his brother was alive, he obviously didn’t want to be found. It’d be useless to keep searching for one monster that had odds stacked up against them finding him. Comic felt.. Awful. He’d even gone out on his own in the area Crisp had disappeared from, and looked for him, just to find nothing, nothing and nothing. It was.. Disheartening, to say the least.

 

Undyne stayed with him, though. She stayed, comforting him and helping him move along from Crisps disappearance. He spent the night hours looking at the baby book for Crisp, that their father had started and Comic had finished. It housed Crisps pictures- from the day Comic first got to hold him, teary eyed and distressed at how tiny his brother was in his arms, to the day Crisp was old enough to stop wearing stripes. In the middle were the.. Experiment pictures. After, their dad wasn’t making the book. It was fine by Comic, the old man had it coming to him, really.

 

But.. He’d spent hours looking at each picture, hoping that Crisp would come back, because he’d never seemed displeased with living with Comic. They were both happy, and safe for once. Secure and away from any real dangers. He wondered if his dad wasn’t really dead and gone. Wondered if his old man had finally come back to finish what he’d started on them, and if he was next. They’d just be two missing skeletons, a mystery of the Underground, lost to their friends forever.

 

It’d gotten to the point that he was waiting for it to happen. Waiting for his dad to come back for him, and whisk him off to the hidden half of the lab. He gave up. Undyne still made him do a lot of stuff- like make sure his magic levels weren’t getting too low, and that he was cleaning himself and not leaving huge messes.

 

‘If Pap comes back to the house a wreck, he’ll be upset!’ She’d said, roughly patting his scapula, making him stagger forwards a bit. He’d just nodded, and swatted her hand away gently, not really bothered. It gave him a feeling that nothing had changed at all.

 

But it had.

 

And it had again, when the day that he fully gave up hope for his brother returning and nearly had a full break down, almost killing himself even, that the door opened quickly in that familiar way.

 

He and Undyne were sitting on the couch together, with Comic sobbing softly into his hands. Undyne had been rubbing his back softly, trying to calm him down as best she possibly could, despite Comic being near hysterical.

 

The door slammed open, nearly hitting the wall in the process. Both of them looked up, and Comic froze, staring at his brother. Undyne stood up quickly, laughing and yanking Crisp into a tight hug, lifting him off his feet just a little bit.

 

“I knew you’d make it back!!” She laughed, squeezing him close.

 

Comic didn’t miss how tense his brother looked, nor the two strangers standing just on the other side of the door, both looking way too tall, and way too.. Intimidating. He stared at the newcomers, and then looked at Crisp. He wiped his face off on his sleeves, smearing tears along the fabric of his jacket sleeve. He didn’t care. His brother was back, and he couldn’t believe it.

 

He staggered over, thinking it might have been a fever dream, or he was bleeding out seeing what he wanted to see the most, his brother. He came over, reaching out and pushing Undyne’s arm lightly. She huffed, setting Crisp back on his feet and backing off. She eyed the newcomers cautiously, before quietly leaning over and pushing the door closed in front of them.

 

Crisp scooped him up in a hug, and Comic naturally buried his face into Crisps shoulder, clinging to his baby brother. He clung to him better, sobbing brokenly into Crisps shoulder. He couldn’t believe Crisp was home. He’d given up hope, and now he felt stupid for it. He shouldn’t have told Undyne to stop looking, nor should he have stopped looking himself. He shouldn’t have assumed that Crisp would up and commit suicide before telling him anything!

 

The door clicked shut, and Crisp looked over, finding no one but Undyne there, who looked somewhat confused, but was staring distrustfully at the door. He gasped, nearly dropping Comic, instead holding him in one arm to keep him from sliding, because for as lazy as Comic tended to be, when he didn’t want to let go of someone, he didn’t. He was fully capable of holding himself up for a bit longer. He did, eventually, release Crisp so he could be set down, so Crisp could open the door again.

 

He shuffled back, watching the two people step in. They were both stupidly tall- and the taller one just about knocked his face off of the top of the doorframe. Both of them looked.. Not right. Comic didn’t trust either of them. Both gave off an odd vibe to him. It was also clear that Undyne didn’t trust them either, because she looked pretty on edge.

 

“Uh. Who’re these, Pap?” Undyne asked, eyeing up the two strangers currently standing in front of the door together. The taller one had to slouch down just a little bit to fit without bashing his head against the ceiling.

  
“Oh- This is Fell, my boyfriend, and his brother Rex!” He motioned to each, before coming over to stand beside Fell, holding his hand gently. Or, trying to. Crisps hand was completely dwarfed by ‘Fells’, and he couldn’t even properly hold it, rather he was just. Holding two of Fells fingers.

 

“...boyfriend?” Comic repeated incredulously, staring at the pair. Crisp was like- Not even half Fells size! And Crisp was tall here! Six foot and somehow this hulking giant of a monster was almost twice his height! Yeah, no. No way.

 

“No way. Nope. No. No way in hell, bro.” Comic huffed, reaching out and tugging Crisp away from Fell. He couldn’t let Crisp date someone like him- on top of being that tall, the guy looked way older than him!  
  
“Yeah, ha! No.” Undyne agreed, crossing her arms and glaring faintly at Fell.

 

Crisp blinked, looking between Undyne, Comic and Fell in worry. “Wh- but-?” he tried, not sure why it was suddenly sounding bad to be dating Fell.

 

“Well.. I.. I suppose if.. Your brother doesnt approve..” Fell murmured, sounding more than a little bit heartbroken now. Crisp looked at him, obviously distressed by what he’d said.

 

“B-but-” He whined softly, looking at Rex for help with the situation, obviously close to tears already.

 

“Since when does an older brother have any say in what you do?” Rex asked, looking pretty displeased with the situation too. Comic scowled faintly, glaring at Rex. He got a glare in return.

 

Comic tuned the rest of the conversation out, not wanting to listen to it anymore. He focused on his brother, frowning a bit. The previous childish spark that he knew his brother had was gone. The spark that hid away how smart his baby brother was, and left people stumped when he showed them intricate and delicately planned and built, massive puzzles he did by hand. It was gone, making Crisp look almost empty inside. It hurt.

 

He didn’t bother paying any attention, even when the door opened again and Undyne and Rex were outside fighting and Crisp was crying just a little bit, being comforted by Fell. Somewhere behind the apathy blanketing him, it hurt to see his brother crying and not going to him for comfort.

 

Eventually, Fell pulled away and went out to stop the fight, and Crisp followed after to make sure no one was hurt too badly. Comic trailed out a few minutes later, to see what was happening. He was sort of aware, but everything felt surreal because now he was seeing Rex with a muzzle on, and Fell with a very pissed off and injured Undyne, healing her.

 

It was confusing to see them both. Crisp looked to be fretting over Rex worriedly, seeming distressed, checking if he was injured anywhere.

 

Everything passed in an odd blur- A mini argument with Rex, Rex nearly attacking Undyne again, and Crisp and him trying to stop it from happening. He staggered himself back towards the house quietly, sort of in a daze. He went inside, followed by the others. He got to the couch, plopping down curling up faintly. Undyne and Crisp came back, sitting down together.

 

“So- What happened!? You were gone for like- A week!” Undyne huffed, patting Crisp on the shoulder, not about to let him get by without telling them what happened, “You’ve been acting weird too!”

 

“Yea’, bro.. You haven’t looked the same..” Comic murmured, looking at his brother curiously. Crisp suddenly started to look more than a little bit uncomfortable.

 

“Oh- well.. I .. I got turned around and ended up there-” Crisp was cut off by Undyne,

 

“No! Like- later! What made you- not look like you??” Undyne huffed, crossing her arms, “What did they do to you!?”

 

“Do to- Nothing! They didn’t do anything to me! Fell and Rex didn’t.. At least.” He murmured, looking away anxiously, shoulders slumping faintly.

 

“..What happened, bro?” Comic asked, scooching just a little bit closer. He had to know- he had big brother rights! Not to mention, he wanted to know so he could help Crisp recover. It hurt to see his baby brother so.. Broken looking.

 

“P-please dont make me talk about it..” He murmured, anxiously hugging himself. Comic began to reel back, not wanting to make Crisp cry. Over the years, tears from his baby brother became less and less common. When they were kids, freshly living alone for once, on the streets, Crisp cried when Comic had to send him to school, and only stopped when Comic promised he’d be there at the same time as always to pick him up. It almost always worked, and Comic got the school hours while Crisp was away, to work. He learned everything he knew from the Labs, and random textbooks he found that weren’t too waterdamaged from the dump.

 

Eventually, Crisp grew more independant, and began to only cry if he got injured, or if Comic was late at all. Then after that it was only after nightmares, and after that when Crisp was in his late teens, and Comic was reaching mid-twenties, he began to cry when Comic had nightmares, or drank to cover it up. He also teared up when Comic locked up the basement door, and told him he wasn’t going to work on it anymore.

 

The machine down there was their only connection to their father, who Crisp barely remembered. Comic had all the memories, and refused to let Crisp grow attached. The machine was broken. Comic knew that for a damn fact. He’d tried to start it one day, two years ago, and it nearly exploded. He had to force a shut down to keep a fire from breaking out. Most of the wires in the machine were fried, and he’d given up after that.

 

“Crisp, cmon! I’m your bestie, you can tell me like, anything!” Undyne assured, tugging Crisp into a tight hug, rubbing his back just a little too roughly. Crisp was uncomfortably tense, and Comic shifted, wanting to butt in and shove her off, tell her not to do that and that it was bothering Crisp.

 

He didn’t, though. He just stayed quiet, watching his baby brother nearly crying. He didn’t do anything..

 

“W..well..” Crisp was beginning to tear up now, “R-rex had his- ex-boyfriend o-over, wh-who broke up with him today mind you..A-and I left, because I di-didnt want to i-infringe on their… c-canoodling.” He fidgeted, looking down at his lab, “I took a walk, and a wolf monster- i didnt- I didnt know- it’d be dangerous to get near them?” He whimpered, “H-he drugged me a-and took me to the woods-” He covered his mouth, hunching his shoulders some.

 

“What!? Oh my god- Papyrus! They didn’t do anything?? Are you okay- wait no of course you arent- Do you need a healer!?” Undyne yelled, shifting about and trying to check him over physically.

 

“N-no! I’m fine!” Crisp gasped, swatting her hands away hurriedly, looking even more panicked now. “I c-called Fell, and he and R-rex went out to find me. They he-healed me. I’m fine!” Despite the tears he’d gotten from the incident, and the fact that he still felt disgusting and felt hands on him all the time, his hips occasionally ached and his pelvis stung sometimes, like it was being pulled apart slowly.

 

“You’re not fine- You got raped, Papyrus!” Undyne pulled him into another hug. Crisp inhaled sharply, but didn’t seem to be too bothered by it. He just tensed faintly.

 

“I’m fine..” He whimpered, voice quiet and broken sounding. He sounded so scared.

 

“You.. Youre fine physically but not.. Not mentally.” Undyne huffed, hugging him closer, patting his back faintly, “You’re never going back there. Ever.”

 

“I am. I’m a grown skeleton.” Crisp mumbled, quickly recovering now that Undyne was attempting to boss him around. He didn’t enjoy that one bit!

 

Comic scowled, crossing his arms, “You’re barely an adult. You aren’t going back.” He replied, not about to argue. Crisp was barely eighteen! He had no right to go back there!

 

“Yeah! That guys way too old for you! No way I’m letting you go back, no way in hell!” Undyne let go of him,leaning back and holding his shoulders. She wasn’t about to sway from her current standpoint. Not even a little bit.

 

Crisp looked confused, “older than…??” He murmured,tilting his head, “No? No! Fell and Rex aren’t that old!” He whined, lifting his hands up to try and soothe Undyne’s frustrated look, anxiously. “Fells my age, they were made to look older!” He got serious after a short moment, crossing his arms again, “And dont boss me around with my personal life!” He huffed, pushing her gently, “I like him, he likes me, we’re very happy together, so there! Nothing you can do about it!” He huffed, like his point was made and there was no way anyone could argue with him.

 

“And no more insulting him! He really is blind, and.. Kinda sensitive!” He pouted. He wasn’t pleased with the way Fell had been gently insulted before.

 

“You better not have sex with him! His dick is probably bigger than your whole leg!” Undyne chastised, half playfully, scowling at him.

 

“What!?” Crisp yelped, blushing furiously, obviously very shocked at how outright Undyne was being, “N-no way!!” He squeaked, “I dont even like sex, and Fell is probably very uncomfortable with it!!”

 

“Ughhh! Fine, fine!” She groaned, settling back down, “I still dont trust that Rex guy.” She pouted. She despises being proven wrong.. “But at least you chose the sane one, Crisp. That guy only has two LV.”

 

“His LV is nine.” Comic piped up softly. “Rex, does. I checked him.. Ive.. Ive never seen anyone with LV that high.” He was lying. He had seen someone with high LV. He had and he despised it greatly. “I’m not trusting him either.”

 

“Holy- thats more than me!” Undyne snapped up onto her feet, looking shocked, “I dont think hes capable of being nice anymore!”

 

“H-he is!!” Crisp assured hurriedly, “Here.” He hummed, unlocking it, smiling quietly. He opened the camera roll hurriedly, looking for any pictures of Rex being nice, “He helped me get dressed when I went on a date with Fell! Oh- Do you want to see??” He asked, finding a picture of himself in his dress.

 

He adored it so much. It was a very nice dress. Undyne, however, looked baffled. She turned her attention between the picture of Crisp in his dress, and Crisp holding the phone.

 

Crisp looked proud, though, “Rex helped me find a good outfit to wear! He has really good tastes!” He bounced some, swiping through the pictures again. Comic had gotten a glimpse of what they’d been wearing, smiling briefly,  relaxing.

 

“That behemoth took you on a date??” She asked, thoroughly baffled at the sheer idea of Fell taking Crisp on a date.

 

“Yeah! Here-” He chirped, showing her a picture of Fell in his suit, the night they went out together. He was bouncing just a tiny bit, obviously excited to prove to Undyne that Fell wasn’t a danger to his safety.

 

“He does clean up nice, I guess..” Undyne shrugged, sitting back, scratching the back of her neck.

 

Crisp hummed, checking the next picture curiously. It was one taken sneakily- of Fell wearing a tighter shirt. He made a spooked noise, slamming his phone face down onto the couch cushion to hide it, laughing nervously.

 

Undyne grabbed his phone from him, “Woah!! The dudes fucking ripped- Comic, look!” Undyne laughed, holding it so Comic could see.

 

He.. Did agree, though. Fell obviously put a lot of work into his body. It was somewhat admirable, in a sense. It was pretty cute, though, to see Crisp so flustered over such a tame picture. “Damn.” He agreed, shrugging meekly and leaning back.

 

Crisp struggled to snatch his phone back, whining a bit, “Give it back-!” He yelped, looking very anxious. He didn’t want Undyne going through his entire camera roll.

 

“No! I want to see whats next!” She laughed, holding Crisp bad easily as she swiped to the next picture.

 

The second she swiped, Crisp let out a half screech, going to tackle Undyne bodily to retrieve his phone. He was blushing furiously, and very unhappy.

 

Undyne burst into later, tossing the phone to Comic. It smacked him in the face and landed on his chest, due to the way he’d been slowly slouching down. He was just thinking, really. He got curious, picking up the phone from his chest and swiping to the next picture.

 

It was of a cat. Sort of grumpy looking at having its picture taken. Cute, though. He smiled briefly, admiring the cat. He ended up swiping through a few more pictures.

 

“You guys are so meaaann!” Crisp whined, hiding his face into his hands, blushing furiously. He should have made sure before showing her any pictures!!!

 

“What? You want me to tell everyone youre HELLA GAY FOR HIM!??” She cackled, patting Crisp on the back, grinning cheekily.

  
“W-well it’d be truthful-” Crisp giggled shyly, keeping his face hidden away pointedly.

Another picture was of Rex sleeping on the couch, holding tightly to an owl plush? The same cat from before was chewing on his prosthetic. Still a cute cat. He took a long moment to stare at the picture, before quietly sending it to himself. The next picture was Fell, holding the cat and smiling brightly. He looked absolutely delighted to just be existing in that very moment when the photo was snapped.  
  
“Hold up- I’m gonna livestream this-” Undyne laughed, whipping her phone out of her pocket, grinning viciously.

 

“Wh- What!? Why!?” Crisp gasped, head snapping up to look at her incredulously, obviously distressed at the idea.

 

Comic grinned, holding the phone back out towards Undyne, to see if she’d take it. He’d seen plenty already, content to hand over Crisps phone back to Undynes hands.

 

“Cause you’re gay for him!” She grinned, leaning back and  opening Undernet happily, intent to thoroughly embarrass Crisp.

 

“S-So what??? I like him, he likes me! N-no big deal!” He whined, hiding his face again and curling himself up anxiously.

 

“It is a big deal, bro! First boyfriend!” Comic gently elbowed Crisp, getting quickly caught up into the antics, not aware that Crisp was growing upset. Comic was mostly paying attention to Undyne, who’d started the stream eagerly.

 

It wasn’t until Crisp began to tear up that Comic fell silent, looking at his brother in confusion. Usually, Crisp would be flustered, but still go with it. It was.. Weird, honestly. Comic didn’t know what to do. It baffled him, really, seeing his brother so upset.

 

A lot of what happened was blurry- Crisp started to cry and Undyne not so kindly threw his phone over, telling Comic to call Fell. Crisp was quickly devolving into a panic attack, something Comic was very familiar with, but it was.. It was strange, having it flipped around like that so fast..

 

Undyne was holding Crisp as Comic got up and fled the room, calling the number listed under Fells name- the name actually held exactly three hearts and one sparkle. Majority of the names listed had similar add-ons. His didn’t though. Comic had never snooped in his brothers business that much. Only when he was worried for him, and even then Crisps phone was always off limits. That was too far, and Comic was always very light with what he looked at. Never dug too deep because if Crisp wanted to hide something, it wasn’t Comics business to unearth it and risk hurting his babybrother.

 

But.. Seeing the dozens of contacts with nicknames, and emojis after them, and seeing his own just listed ‘Brother’ with nothing special.. It hurt. It hurt way more than he ever thought it might. He knew Crisp valued their relationship a lot, and tended to be pretty straightforward with Comic, but he’d at least thought that Crisp was different with names.

 

He shook it off, calling Fell quickly.

 

“Hello, Crisp?” Fell’s voice chimed once the call was picked up. He sounded both confused and absolutely delighted to be called.

 

“Uh-.. Not.. Not quite.” Comic mumbled, suddenly feeling very, very wrong for bothering Fell. It’d only been a short handful of hours since Fell and Rex had gone home. He.. He felt.. Inadequate, in a very harsh way. What kind of big brother was he, if he couldn’t comfort Crisp?

 

..A shitty one, it seems..

 

“Oh- Is everything okay??” Fell asked, tone quickly changing to genuine worry for Crisps wellbeing. It just further proved, to Comic, that he was the most useless elder brother out there.

 

“..No.. Not really.. Hes uh-..” he hesitated, frowning anxiously. They’d know he wasn’t capable of comforting Crisp. But.. Crisp was more important. He had to make sure his brother was happy and not crying anymore.

 

“..He’s.. Kinda.. Having a panic attack..?” Comic murmured, voice cracking faintly. He felt like shit asking for help dealing with his own brother. Absolute scum of the damn Underground. Worst person there right now. He didn’t deserve to be Crisps brother anymore.. He’d failed him too many times now.  
  
“Oh-Oh! We’ll- We’ll be right there-!” Fell assured, and distantly he could hear Rex talking in the background, Fell answering with something like ‘yes, we’re going back!’. Comic wasn’t sure. He hung up shortly after, dragging his feet as he went back out to the living room.

 

Crisp was still crying, leaning on Undyne, and she was trying her best to comfort him. It wasn’t working. Every time she rested her hand on his back or shoulder, he started to cry harder. She looked at him helplessly, unsure of what to do. It was hard to comfort someone, when just touching them made it worse.

 

Comic sat himself down on the other side of the couch, unable to do much of anything after all. He’d just.. Wait for Fell and Rex to get there. It wouldn’t take long, after all. Hopefully. It hurt hearing his brother crying so hard, desperate for comfort but not being able to handle it.

 

He was true, too. It didn’t take long for the two brothers to get there. The second the door opened, Crisp was yanking himself away from Undyne and reaching out towards Fell blindly. His reaches were met with Fell gently grasping his hands and guiding him up into a tight hug, lifting him just a little bit, so Crisp was more standing on his toes than flat footed. It would be cute if Crisp wasn’t breaking down.

 

Fell swayed gently, rubbing Crisps lower back and murmuring things to him that Comic couldn’t understand. It seemed to work, because Crisp began to stop shaking.

 

“What the hell did you do to him!?” Rex called out, looking at Comic, then to Undyne, who was very slowly making her way out towards the door.

 

“Nothing! I didn’t do anything!” Undyne defended herself, crossing her arms. She didn’t like nor trust Fell and Rex one bit! Not even a little bit.

 

“What’d she do to the kid?” Rex rounded on Comic, making him shrink back into the couch faintly, staring up at him. It took a moment or two of quiet only filled by whispered reassurances and sobs from Crisp, before Comic registered what he’d been asked.

“..We were just fuckin’ around- ‘dyne wanted to brag about him bein’ home an’ stuff-” Comic shrugged meekly, crossing his arms, though it ended up being more like he was hugging himself anxiously. He knew what was coming. But despite knowing it didn’t mean it didn’t hurt like hell.

 

“What kinda older brother doesnt know his younger brothers limits?” Rex huffed, wiping his face with one hand, obviously done already with the whole situation.

 

Comic quickly hid his hurt behind a brief flash of frustration, “He just came back! I know his limits from before! I’m not a fucking miracle worker, I cant magically know what will bother him! I thought he’d just roll with it!” Comic snapped, shifting a bit. He was frustrated, that Rex spoke what he’d already knew, like it was a new thing.

 

“He dont just burst into tears outta the blue! You didn’t think to stop fish-face before he started to bawl!?” Rex snapped back, glaring only a little bit. Comic wavered briefly, but didn’t want to roll over and passively accept the insults aimed at him. Even if they were true.

 

“Brother, I love you very much, but please dont yell anymore.” Fell chimed in, voice quiet and worried. He was holding Crisp close still, rubbing the back of his skull soothingly. Crisp had calmed down, and was now quiet. Rex did settle down, taking a deep breath and turning away.  
  
“I was goin’ to!” He protested, upset that Rex called him out. He was trying! He was trying to be a good brother, he really was. But.. It was way harder than he thought it was when he was a kid.

 

Crisp murmured something soft to Fell, something that sounded vaguely like an apology. Fell soothed him, assuring him it wasn’t his fault. Comic didn’t bother listening in to what was being said between the two.

 

“Were ya gonna before or after he started sobbing?” Rex rolled his eyes, crossing his arms and shifting his stance a bit. It was very clear to Comic, that Rex wasn’t pleased one bit.

 

Something in his chest ached. It made him feel hollow and odd, hurting from the inside out and he really didn’t like it one bit.

 

“Dont fuckin insinuate that I’m a shitty bro.” Comic huffed, trying to fake that he wasn’t aware he was a shitty brother and Crisp wasn’t going to be okay with him. It hurt too much to admit it.

 

“I aint _insinuatin_ 'shit! I’m telling you you’re an asshole and a bad brother! I dont even make my bro cry and I’ve killed people!” Rex huffed, poking Comic hard in the ribs. It made him shy away with a very faint wince at the jab.

 

Comic flinched back just slightly, his facade beginning to crack and splinter just faintly. He swatted Rex’s hand away, “I’m _trying_ okay?” He huffed, crossing his arms against his chest better, beginning to grow very distressed.

 

“Rex.. Please do not upset him.” Fell murmured, hugging Crisp closer. The whole time, they’d been murmuring to one another. Comic was too caught up in what’d been happening between him and Rex, that he hadn’t been paying attention to their brief conversation.

 

“But-” Rex was cut off quickly by his own brother,

 

“There are no buts. Do not upset him.” Fell murmured, shaking his head faintly. Rex huffed, crossing his arms and looking away. It was clear he didn’t want to be done just yet.

 

Comic breathed out softly, hugging himself a bit better and shuffling about to press himself into the arm of the couch, right where the back met the arm. He leaned heavily on the arm of the couch, curling his legs up quickly, attempting to take up little room.

 

Rex turned to Crisp, “Y’good now, kid? No more cryin’?” He asked, taking a brief moment to rest his hand on Crisps cheek, wiping a few tears away with his thumb, in a very brotherly motion.

 

Crisp nodded, smiling weakly, “mmhm. I’m fine..” He murmured, relaxing down against Fells chest. He looked.. Genuinely happy. The kind of happy that came with genuinely enjoying being around people he liked.

 

The kind of happy Comic.. Rarely saw, he supposed.

 

He watched, despite knowing it’d just make everything feel worse to him. He sunk down into the couch, curling up tighter. Watching the interaction made him feel really, really shitty. Rex was right. He was a bad brother. And now? ..Now he got to see the large gaps being filled so perfectly by someone else. It was something he’d never been able to do. He’d never been able to be a good brother for Crisp. It felt wrong.

 

Undyne had long since inched out of the house, getting out of dodge, due to being entirely on edge with the two brothers crowding there.

 

Rex sighed once answered, patting Crisp gently on the head. He glanced over at Comic, doing a brief double take and turning to face him, “Whats with you?” he asked. Everything about him changed almost instantly, going from warm older brother, to much colder, like he was trying to push Comic away as best he possibly could.

 

He scowled a bit, looking away, “Nothing.” He huffed, “Just dont like you touching my brother.” He was lying, and it was painfully obvious. He sunk down more, curling up better. He didn’t want to be down there anymore, but if he left he was certain that he’d just be showing Rex he was a bad brother. So he.. He’d stay for a bit longer.

 

“I can literally smell you lying, dumbass.” Rex replied, gruffly. His tail swayed just a tiny bit in a flicking motion. He didn’t look pleased.

 

Comic shrugged, “So fucking what?” He huffed. He was trying desperately to drag together the pieces of his broken facade and mend them together. He was failing, though.

 

“Crisp, yer brothers being sad. You should do something.” Rex shrugged meekly, looking over and watching as Fell gently lifted Crisp and set him on his lap. It confused Comic. When did they sit down? He didn’t remember.. Oh well. Rex pulled his phone out and snapped a few idle pictures of them together.

 

“You fuckin wish.” he huffed, getting up and heading upstairs quickly. He knew Crisp wouldn’t follow. None of them would. Crisp knew for a fact that following Comic wouldn’t be useful. Comic would shut himself right on down and refuse to reply. And if he pressed, Comic would flee.

 

Comic ended up not even going to his room. He just plopped his ass right down on the floor, right where the banister met the wall. He curled his legs up, peeking between the rails of the banister down at the trio on the couch, now. Whatever words were being shared, didn’t make it to Comic. If they did, he didn’t even register them. He had one hand over his mouth, tears welling up quietly. He was trying to keep silent and out of sight entirely.

 

A faintest little breath slipped from him- a halted sob that didn’t make its way out of his chest at all. It hurt to do that, but it was for the best. He closed his eyes, turning away from the banister to the other side of the hall, hunching his shoulders.

 

He didn’t see Rex disappear, nor appear beside him. “Dude- Shit- I didn’t think you’d cry- I’m sorry-” he rushed out, staggering over his own words, tail tucking between his legs a bit.

 

At the sudden voice beside him, Comic jumped, knocking the back of his skull against the wall faintly, “I aint crying! You’re seeing things.” He huffed, curling up and jamming his face against his knees to hide that he was, in fact, crying.

 

“Shit- You okay?” Rex asked, squatting down beside him. Comic heard Rexs prosthetic hiss out quietly, obviously not at all pleased with the movement. Rex awkwardly patted Comics back, being very delicate.

 

He hesitated for a long moment, burrowing his face into his knees, “..I…” He took a short, deep breath, “..I.. I know.. I’m a bad bro.” He murmured, voice heavy with sobs he was holding back, tears soaking into the fabric of his shorts. “..’m shit at payin’ attention and at comforting him..” He sounded genuinely distressed, “I-.. I’m tryin’ though- but its just- its hard.” he curled up more, hugging his knees desperately.

 

Silence held tight between them for a moment or two. Rex was likely processing what Comic had said. It took a moment for him to reply, “..I.. I didn’t mean what I said. I was just upset that Crisp was crying.” Rex shifted, easing himself down to sit beside Comic, leaning back against the wall too, “..I know he’s changed a lot since he wound up in our universe.. But- you are trying, yeah? Thats what matters, yknow.”

 

Comic shrugged weakly,”Not hard enough. I-i mean- I saw him getting upset!  And i didn’t do shit!” He huffed, sitting himself up properly, “I shoulda known after he told us what happened, that things changed. A-and I didn’t do anything to stop Undyne!”

 

“You two were excited to have him back. I.. I know if that would’ve happened to Fell, I woulda been shit at comfortin’ him or anythin’ after. Hell, I would cry!” Rex offered a smile, “You kept yer composure really fuckin’ well, even wit’ me in yer face.”

 

A laugh tore his way from him, though it sounded more like a sob than anything, “i felt like pissing myself.” he huffed, sliding down and resting his head back. “..I just. I dont want anything back t’happen to him.” He shrugged meekly, “Shit happened when we were kids, and I fucked up keeping him from remembering. I dont. I dont wanna fuck up more.”

 

“Nothin’ you coul’ do woul’ fuck ‘him up more than what happened in our universe. But, hey. Hes home again.” Rex offered, shrugging a tiny bit. “Hes got my bro, and fishface- whereever she went.”

 

“..I- I dunno. It still bugs him, yknow?” He sighed heavily, “I messed up when we were kids, and even more now. It..” he hesitated, looking down at his lap. Anywhere but towards Rex, “..It just hurts seeing someone.. Who.. Who doesnt know him like I do.. Fill in perfectly for me.” He shrugged, “A-and I know its selfish and I shouldn’t be upset- because its good you’re there to step in, ‘cause i cant”

 

Rex smiled softly, “..To be honest- an’ dont get mad- I almost murdered ‘im when we first met. Didn’t believe he was tellin’ the truth that he jus’ got turned around and wound up there.. But- anyway- point is, I aint good for ‘im, yanno? Fell, he’s perfect for crisp. Comforts ‘im. Crisp keeps ‘is anxiety in check and guides him around.” Rex looked at Comic, “..But- what he needs- what he really needs, is his older brother.” Rex rubbed Comics back gently, sighing a bit.

 

“..I just dont know how..” Comic murmured, “he grew up! When he was a kid, it was easy, because he didn’t know what we didn’t have. And random shit kept him happy and excited. Now.. I dont.. I dont know what to do..” He sighed softly.

 

After that, a lot of the conversation was just talking of their brothers, really. It felt.. Nice, in all honesty. Being able to talk about someone who knew what it was like, in a sense. Granted, he was sure Rex and Fell grew up better than them, in a way. He knew what had happened, and also that they’d been taken in. But not much else. He was almost jealous. They got a family- someone to look after them and.. And Comic got stuck with LV at ten and a baby brother who didn’t remember a thing about what had been happening.

 

He’d raised Crisp alone, learning everything about Crisp. He missed how he was then. Starry eyed and barely aware that it wasn’t normal for two kids their age to not have parents, and live jumping around from site to site- scrounging up just enough money for food that day, and more often than not, stealing.

 

He missed it, in an odd way. Sure, he could go back and look at the memories of life before everything, but even then it wasn’t the same.

 

He supposed he’d have to deal with being in the now. Because he was certain he’d be seeing more of Fell and Rex.

 

Speaking of memories, he was pretty sure he was expected to get a baby book of Crisps? He wasn’t sure. He got it anyway, plopping down on the stairs to show Rex. Crisp didn’t seem pleased, but in that moment..

 

Comic felt much lighter than he had in.. In years. Before, he’d looked at the pictures and teared up, wishing that they’d had an escape sooner, and Crisp didn’t have to know what it felt like to have needles poking him and chafing from leather bindings keeping him from thrashing, or have the scar left on his ulna from when he tried to get out of the bonds and broke his arm entirely.

 

Now though, he was much happier. He didn’t know why, though.

 

He liked it, though. He liked it a lot more than he ever thought he might. It was nice.

**Author's Note:**

> finally. its done. 
> 
> 15 FUCKING pages in docs, 6677 words. kill me.
> 
> my life is SUFFERING but at least its DONE. and im done now. i was supposed to b writing for other shit but wanted to do this first.
> 
> also I barely remember any of what I wrote ahaha /kill me/
> 
> (edit I forgot to fuckinG add it to the series lmao)


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